After their intense duel in the first lap at Monza, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had a one-on-one talk to clear up the tensions that appeared within Ferrari.
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The Italian Grand Prix had left some marks at Ferrari. From the first lap at Monza, Lewis Hamilton had dived inside Charles Leclerc at the first corner, before ending up in the gravel at turn 2 after a particularly intense duel between the two red cars.
At the finish, the versions of the two drivers were not quite consistent. Leclerc had considered that “we went too far”, a phrase that Hamilton did not appreciate much.
“I was ahead at turn 2. On the inside line, I was ahead. So there was no ‘us’ in that”, the Briton had replied sharply.
A few days later, in Madrid, the tone is much calmer. The two men had a one-on-one talk and now consider the incident closed.
Leclerc admits he went too far
“The positive thing is that no one tried to avoid the discussion”, explains Hamilton. “We sat face to face, just him and me, and talked about it. We were both open and honest, we settled it and we can move on.”
The seven-time world champion even sees it as proof of the strength of the relationship built with his teammate.
“There will obviously be frustrations, and I’m sure there will still be moments when we are very close, because our performances are very close. We both want to win as much as each other and we both want to succeed for the team. But I think it’s really positive.”
For his part, Leclerc clearly acknowledges his share of responsibility after reviewing the footage.
“It’s obvious that we never want to see a car from the same team in the grass. After reviewing the footage, we talked with Lewis. I obviously know that I went too far at turn 2 and I told him. I think it’s very clear what we need to do, or avoid doing, in the future.”
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Above all, the Monegasque assures that the episode left no scars between the two men.
“It absolutely did not affect the good relationship we have and it will not affect anything in the future. That’s really the most important thing for me.”
The particular weight of Ferrari at Monza
Leclerc nevertheless believes that the incident took on disproportionate proportions because it involved Ferrari, especially at Monza. But this remark is not intended to minimize his responsibility.
“That doesn’t mean we did everything perfectly. I didn’t at turn 2. I was very clear with Lewis about that as soon as I reviewed the footage. It’s not acceptable to see Lewis end up in the gravel. It’s not something that should happen again.”
Despite this episode, Ferrari does not seem to want to immediately establish precise rules governing duels between its drivers.
No driving rules… for now
This absence of instructions had surprised after Monza. Hamilton has since talked with Frédéric Vasseur, notably after demanding significant changes in the way Ferrari operates and executes its race weekends.
“I spoke with Fred on Monday”, he says. “We can naturally have different opinions, but in the end, we meet and find a common path. We have reached a stage where internal communication is really very good, and it’s the same between Charles and me.”
The implementation of driving rules similar to those he had known at Mercedes has not, however, been discussed.
“At some point, we will certainly discuss how we can do better, but we haven’t had much time. You can’t change things in two days.”
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